


Rufflout One Shot Collection

by glowworm888



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 18:36:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 15,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20765051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glowworm888/pseuds/glowworm888
Summary: A one-shot collection of Rufflout stories. A mix of canon and modern AU.>DISCONTINUED<





	1. "I Don't Want To Have A Baby"

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to try and post one a day until I either run out of one-shot ideas or I get bored with writing them.   
>DISCONTINUED<

Ruffnut sat on her bed. She didn't spend much time in her hut when she wasn't asleep, but she needed a quiet place to collect her thoughts. Her brother was off terrorizing a group of Gronkles (though it was only a matter of time before they would angry and Tuff would end up with some serious burns), and the other riders were training in the arena. What was she supposed to say to them? If she let it slip, she'd be grounded from flying, for safety reasons. And that wouldn't even be the worst of it. This was life-changing information that she'd been keeping for well over two months. She just didn't know who would take it harder; Snotlout or Tuffnut.

"Hey, Ruff!"

Speak of the devil.

Ruffnut turned her head to see a furious Snotlout storm through her hut. From the way he was covered in a layer of ash, she could tell Tuffnut was involved.

"Your idiot brother just got puked on by those lava-spewing.... are you alright?" He asked, stopping himself. He tilted his head to look into Ruff's eyes. She looked a lot more tired than usual, less perky. Certainly not the Ruffnut he knew.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Is Tuff alright?"

Snotlout grunted and narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. Thank Thor Snotlout was there to take most the damage" he muttered angrily.

"Yep. Thank Thor"

"Seriously, are you alright? You don't want to laugh at me or anything? You don't want to go make fun of Tuff and call him a nincompoop? Because I did a little bit, but I saved some for you"

"Snotlout, you remember that night you, me, and Tuff stole that barrel of mead from the Chief?" she asked quietly.

"Ha! Barely" he snorted.

"Do you happen to remember what _happened _that night?"

Snotlout scratched the back of his head. A puff of ash fell onto Ruffnut's floor.

"Well, yes. But I thought we weren't going to talk about it" he said.

"That was the plan. But something's come up"

Snotlout sat down next to her. He looked at her sunken eyes and her disheartened frown and he could tell something serious was up.

"Well what is it? Did Tuffnut find out? Oh Gods, I am dead meat!"

Ruffnut calmed his panicking with a hand on his shoulder.

"No, but he's not going to be thrilled about this, either. Snotlout, I'm pregnant"

Snotlout's head turned so suddenly that it made him dizzy. Ruff watched his grey eyes go through every emotion imaginable within a few seconds.

"Ruff, that's okay. This is a good thing" he said with a smile genuine enough to almost convince Ruffnut he was right. Almost.

"Have you lost your mind? Of course it isn't! Some might say it's the polar opposite of a good thing" she exclaimed.

"Sweetheart, it's not _that _bad. People have babies all the time"

Ruffnut furrowed her brows and sighed.

"Yes, but usually not totally awesome dragon rider warrior queens! Not to mention I'm unmarried and nineteen. No one's ever gonna take me seriously" she complained, running a hand through her hair until it got tangled in her unmanaged braids.

"Hey, if anyone can do it, a totally awesome dragon rider warrior queen like yourself definitely can" he assured her.

"I don't want to have a baby! Why are you being so calm about this? This is going to ruin your life too, you know"

Snotlout could tell she was trying really hard not to cry.

"Because if I freaked out, that wouldn't do you any good. Plus, if my dad can raise a child, you can"

"Yes, but look at how his child came out!" She yelled, but there was a giggle hidden underneath.

"Yep, he set the bar pretty low with me. Now would it make you feel better to see Tuffnut covered in Gronkle lava burns?"

He stood up and offered his hand to Ruffnut. She took it and stood up off the bed.

"I think it just might"

As they walked out of the twins' hut, Snotlout slinked his arm around Ruffnut's waist. It didn't linger long before she smacked it out of the way.

"Ow! Great, now you've got that mom super-strength" he groaned.

"Yep, well I'm going to need it if I'm going to put up with you any longer" she said with a smile.

Snotlout took the insult happily, knowing that it came from the Ruffnut he knew and loved. He had full faith that someone as stubborn and incredible as her could without a doubt do this. And he knew that he could do it too. The only thing he was truly worried about was the beating he was going to take from Tuffnut as soon as he finds out.


	2. "Why Don't They Just Kiss Already?"

Snotlout couldn't believe his luck. Hiccup and Astrid hadn't noticed he'd been spying on them for the last ten minutes while they scoured over Bork's papers. Obviously, the papers weren't what Snotlout was interested in. It was the undeniable sexual tension between Hiccup and Astrid, and he had to find the twins _immediately _to show them this scene.

He sprinted to the clubhouse, ready to drag Ruff and Tuff to Hiccups hut, but only Ruffnut was in there, showing an array of weapons to Barf and Belch.

"Check this one out, you can still see the bloodstains from when I accidentally hurled it at Tuffnut's stupid face" she explained to the Zippleback, holding a full axe up to Barf's face. The dragon huffed disinterestedly, and laid down on the clubhouse floor.

"Ruff, you've gotta come see this! Hiccup and Astrid are having sex!" She yelled excitedly.

Ruffnut stood up in a hurry, kicking the crate of weapons over.

"WHAT? And you didn't tell me sooner? Show me!" She demanded, grabbing Snotlout's arm and dragging him to Hiccup's hut. She approached the hut quietly and peeked through the opening Snotlout had been spying through earlier.

"Ugh, they are most certainly _not _having sex, Idiot!" she hissed.

"No, they're not. But look at them. You can tell she's practically unpantsing him in her head" he snickered. Ruffnut nodded in agreement.

"Ha, yeah. Why don't they just kiss already? It'd save them a lot of time"

Snotlout scooted Ruffnut out of the way so he could see into Hiccup's hut again. He and Astrid were talking about something, but they were too quiet to hear from the outside.

"Hey, Ruff. Don't you ever get jealous of Astrid?" Snotlout asked, turning his head to talk to the taller Viking.

Ruffnut rolled her eyes.

"Tch, she wishes. Why the Hel would I be jealous of her?" She said.

Snotlout was inclined to believe her, but her nostrils had flared out and her eyebrows were knitted in that way they got when Tuffnut says something particularly distasteful.

"Because Astrid's always getting all the attention. I mean, she's great and all, but is she really the best dragon rider? I don't think so" Snotlout complained.

Ruffnut considered this.

"Eh. I don't care. Sure, she's the pretty one and the smart one and Hiccup's favorite, but she's in there studying with him while _I'm _dicking around with you. So who's the real winner?"

Snotlout was vaguely aware of his cheeks heating up. Knowing Ruffnut, that was one of the most genuine compliments she'd ever given.

He turned his head back to watch Hiccup and Astrid pouring over years worth of outdated research. They did seem to be enjoying each other's company, but it didn't look like they were particularly having fun.

"I guess that's true" he said.

Ruffnut nodded.

"Well, Hiccstrid's getting boring. Now what should we do?" She asked.

"Race?"

She shook her head. Three blond braids swung against her arms. Snotlout tried not to focus on her freckled shoulders.

"I can't ride Barf and Belch without Tuff, and he's off somewhere with Fishlegs" she said grumpily.

Snotlout hadn't considered that.

"Just ride Hookfang with me" he offered. Hookfang, who was resting happily in the sun, snorted.

"How are we supposed to race if we're riding the same dragon?"

Snotlout hadn't considered that either.

"Yeah okay. Then I don't know what to do"

Ruffnut spared a passing glance back at Hiccup's hut. Something caught her eye.

"A ha! Snotlout look!"

Snotlout squinted, and in the dim candlelight, he saw Hiccup and Astrid firmly attached at the lips. She even had a hand in his hair.

"Oh Thor, look at little Hiccup in there getting some action!" He exclaimed, almost too loudly. Loud enough he might've disturbed Hiccup and Astrid if they weren't otherwise engaged.

"Yeah, get some!" Ruffnut whispered at the two.

Snotlout crinkled his nose.

"Man, I can't believe that one-legged wimp gets more girls than me" Snotlout complained.

Ruffnut eyed him, and briskly pressed her lips against his. It was a short, chaste kiss, but it made Snotlout's face flare up.

"There. Now you're even" she snickered before walking back towards the clubhouse.

Snotlout remained frozen, enjoying the tingling his lips still felt. He smiled to himself as Ruff disappeared into the clubhouse. He was too distracted to notice Astrid and Hiccup rounding the corner to approach him.

"Snotlout, were you spying on us?" Astrid demanded, grabbing the man by his tunic.

"Huh? Oh, yeah" he answered vacantly.

"Oh Thor, do you have another thing coming" Astrid roared.

Snotlout finally awoke from his trance when Astrid's fist met his temple.


	3. "Make Me Up A Future"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's really angsty whoops

There is an old Berkian rule that states if a Viking is sick for more than thirty days, there's no hope for him to recover. Thirty days, and he's considered a lost cause.

For Snotlout, it had been twenty nine.

He contracted a disease that was thought to be a common case of eel pox, but rapidly morphed into a more worrying illness. When he was taken to Gothi, she said it was muscular and there was nothing to do but pray to Odin he would heal. The news was hard on the stubborn man and even harder on his ego. The disease took over his body swiftly and ruthlessly.

Twenty nine days, and he was weak, pale, and miserable. He felt pathetic. Some of the Dragon Riders took it pretty hard. Others pretended nothing was unusual. Whether it be for his sake or their own, there was no telling. But day thirty was rapidly approaching, and acceptance was the only option. Hiccup came by his home back on Berk to assure Snotlout that Hookfang would be taken care of and loved. Astrid had brought him some yak and bean soup without many words. He was fine with that. It was easier on his pride than Fishlegs' sappy goodbye.

When the twins came to his bedside, he didn't know what to expect. Both were solemn. Tuffnut cracked a half-hearted joke, but somehow it wasn't nearly as funny when it wasn't at Snotlout's expense. When it was Ruffnut's turn to speak, her eyes fell to the ground.

"Hey bro, can I do this alone?" She asked Tuffnut quietly. Her brother didn't bother to question it; he simply walked out of the Jorganson household without another word.

"Are you ever going to tell him?" Snotlout whispered, not because he was afraid of Tuffnut hearing, but because talking too much wore him out.

"I don't think so. What's the point?" She sighed.

"I guess"

"Do you want me to?"

Snotlout shook his head. Well, he moved it only enough that she could tell he meant to shake his head. His neck screamed at him when he moved it.

"Then I won't. It can be our secret" she said with a sad smile. Snotlout smiled back.

"Yeah. It's not like it's any of his business that we're in love"

There was a pause.

"Remember the day we met?" She asked.

"No" he responded, only because he couldn't attempt to shake his head again.

"I do. You thought I was Tuff and tried to tackle me. Then I punched you and split your lip open, and _that's _when you found out that I was definitely not Tuffnut" she chuckled. Snotlout did actually have a vague memory of that. If nothing else, he remembered how much that had hurt.

"That sounds about right" he said weakly.

"Remember when I buried you alive?"

Snotlout winced.

"That I do remember. Pissed me off. But I fell in love with you anyway"

Another pause.

"Remember..."

"Ruff, cut it out. Stop talking about the past. I could be dead in a matter of hours. Make me up a future"

Ruffnut looked even sadder, if that was possible.

"Okay. Well, obviously we'd get married. Our wedding would be so much better than Hiccup and Astrid's that they'd declare us the superior couple" she said.

"Well duh. What else?"

"We'd build a house. One that could hold Hookfang and Barf and Belch, and Tuffnut of course. We'd spend all day every day flying with the others, discovering new islands and new dragons. We would take all kinds of vacations"

Ruffnut had crawled next to Snotlout on his bed. She gripped his weak hand in hers tightly, as if trying to transfer her own strength to him.

"Would we have kids?" He asked quietly. Barely a whisper.

"Yes. We'd have three girls, but two of them are twins"

"Twins, huh?"

"Yeah, my mom always tells me she thinks I'll have twins, just like her. I'm pretty sure she just wants revenge," she chuckled. "Anyway, we have three girls. They're beautiful, like their mom. And they're stubborn and fearless like their dad. They'd grow up riding dragons, and they'd protect dragons from the world, just like we've done all these years"

Ruffnut's voice was beginning to crack. Her words began to pile into one watery moan, and the tears she'd been holding in slipped out of her eyes and onto Snotlout's pillow.

"I like that future" he said softly.

She sniffed pathetically. Snotlout used every ounce of his remaining energy to squeeze her hand.

"Hey Ruff? I hope you know that in Valhalla, all of that will get to be true for me" he whispered.

She nodded, giving her tear stained face a swipe with her sleeve.

"When my time comes, I hope I get to meet you there" she sniffed.

Snotlout smiled.

"It wouldn't really be Valhalla without you, Ruffnut. I'll be waiting, but no rush. Live out your own future first, then we can have ours together"

Snotlout didn't even bother worrying about his pride. He needed to say it, and she needed to hear it.

Ruffnut left him in peace, after placing a shaky, wet kiss on his cold forehead.

A few hours later, Spitelout came by the Thorston house to announce Snotlout's passing. Ruffnut held herself together until she could slip away from her family and cry into her pillow silently. In a matter of minutes, Tuffnut followed her to their bedroom. He sat beside her, laying his hand on her shoulder.

"I knew" he said softly.

Ruffnut lifted her head to look into her brother's eyes. There was no humor, no jokes, no signs of Loki'ing.

"Really?" She sniffed.

Tuffnut nodded.

"Yeah. But I can pretend I don't if you want"

Ruffnut shook her head. She stood up and wiped the tears off her face.

"No, that's okay"

Together, they walked to the far side of Berk for Snotlout's funeral. When the arrows were shot, Ruffnut made sure hers hit his heart.

"Meet you there" she whispered.


	4. "You Never Told Me You Had A Twin"

It was a dreary morning, after a particularly bad dragon raid the night before, that Spitelout Jorganson was surveying the damage on his own hut, holding his four year old son against his hip.

"Was there a lot of dragons?" His son asked, a blend of fascination and fear in his voice.

Spitelout glanced down at the little Viking.

"More than you could wrap your head around, Snotlout, that's for sure" he grumbled. The puncture marks on the ceiling would take days to rebuild, only to have it damaged again by another swarm of angry dragons.

"Did you kill them all?"

Despite his sour mood, Spitelout smiled. Little Snotlout was his biggest fan, even when it seemed the whole world (ie. dragons, enemy villages, occasionally the Chief) was against him.

"Of course I did, Boyo. Pierced the neck of a Monstrous Nightmare with me own sword" he said proudly.

"Someday, I'll be just like you! A dragon killing Viking warrior!" He shouted.

Spitelout chuckled. He set Snotlout on the ground.

"Go find that little Thorston boy to play with while I start fixing our house, okay?"

"Okay!" The boy echoed, already running off to find his friend.

Tuffnut Thorston was Snotlout's best (and only) friend. There were several other Viking boys his age, but none that were interested in wrestling and roughhousing like Tuffnut and Snotlout were.

Snotlout rushed over to the Thorston household, ready to knock his tiny fist against the door when he saw a blond head next to a shrub. He liked the idea of surprising Tuff with a sneak attack, so he tiptoed up to the little Viking sitting on the ground.

Tuffnut was prying twigs off the shrub and leaning them against each other go make a tiny teepee structure on the ground. That was an odd game for such a rough-and-tumble kid to be playing. Snotlout sneaked up behind his friend, let out a war cry, and tackled him to the ground, crushing the teepee in the process.

"Hey! Get off me, jerk!" Tuffnut yelled in a high pitched voice. Snotlout was thrown off the other boy as he stood up.

"Tuff, let's go play!" Snotlout whined, rubbing his head where it had hit the ground.

"Tuff? No, I'm _Ruff, _idiot!"

Snotlout cocked his head and scrunched his nose. He was beyond confused.

"Ruff?"

"Yes, Ruff! I'm Ruffnut! Tuffnut isn't here!" The Viking kid yelled.

Snotlout shook his head. He didn't understand what was happening. Was Tuff messing with him?

"Tuff, I'm looking at you, you're right there!" Snotlout argued.

'Ruffnut' lowered his eyebrows and snarled.

"I told you, I'm Ruff! I'll show you. Tuff could never do THIS"

Snotlout was thrown to the ground, the other kid on top of him. A tiny fist raised in the air and connected with Snotlout's mouth. He groaned and put his hand to his mouth in pain. When he looked at it, his hand was covered in blood.

"Hey!"

Snotlout scooted himself backwards, away from 'Ruffnut'. He put more and more distance between himself and the other Viking, until he bumped into something. He looked up.

"Hi Snotlout!" Tuffnut said cheerfully.

Snotlout frowned. He looked between Tuffnut and Ruffnut, who was putting the teepee back together.

"What's going on? Who is that?" Snotlout demanded, pointing a finger at Ruffnut.

Tuff moved in front of Snotlout and offered him a hand up.

"That's my twin sister, Ruff" he said.

"Sister? She looks just like you!"

Tuffnut looked at his twin and shrugged.

"I guess. She's a lot meaner than me though"

"Yeah," Snotlout agreed, holding his palm against his bleeding lip. "You never told me you had a twin"

Tuffnut shrugged again.

"You never asked. By the way, you should go say sorry to her before she hates you forever"

Snotlout grumbled, but walked over to where Ruffnut was building her teepee anyway.

"I'm sorry" he said gruffly.

Ruffnut looked over her shoulder at him. Now Snotlout could see the difference between her and her brother. She had a smaller nose and was skinnier. She also had longer eyelashes that brushed her cheeks when she blinked.

"You're sorry for what?" She taunted.

"I'm sorry for thinking you were Tuff and trying to wrestle you"

Ruffnut smiled.

"That's okay" she said. Then she hoisted herself off the ground, brushed the dirt off of herself, and walked into her hut.

Tuffnut moved over to stand by Snotlout.

"I can't believe you thought Ruff was me!" He laughed. Snotlout turned to glare at him.

"You look the same! How was I supposed to know?" He complained.

"I guess so. Cool wound, though" Tuff said, pointing to Snotlout's bleeding lip.

"Yeah. It is, isn't it?"


	5. Modern/College AU: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't done revising on this one yet because it's like twice as long as I planned. I'll release the Part 2 tomorrow.

Ruffnut and Snotlout lay next to each other in uncomfortable silence. There was a thick layer of shame cloaking the small bedroom, and the two occupants were stubbornly refusing to address it. It was almost a competition. Who would break first? Which one would be the first to snap out of it and ask the other exactly how this could've happened?

Ruffnut rolled on her side, facing away from Snotlout. Even so, she held the sheet up against her to cover her bare chest. She considered pretending to be asleep, but even Snotlout wasn't dumb enough to fall for that trick.

She waited for him to say something. Even if he just got up and left, that would be better than this. And as much as she would've loved to wait until Snotlout gave in, she couldn't risk her brother discovering the two in bed together.

"You should probably go soon" she muttered, not bothering to turn back towards him.

She sensed movement from behind her. Snotlout rolled over, facing her.

"We're not going to talk about this?"

This took Ruffnut by surprise. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"I didn't think you wanted to"

Snotlout cleared his throat and ran a nervous hand through his messy hair. Ruffnut then became aware of her own hair: tangled and knotted from sex. A shameful reminder.

"I don't know" he admitted.

Ruffnut turned all the way around again. The two were face to face.

"We should talk about this later. Tuff has an early class in the morning, and if he finds you in here, there's going to be trouble"

That was Snotlout's queue to get out of bed. He pulled his clothes on and handed Ruffnut's to her. She dressed quickly, and got up to let Snotlout out of the apartment.

She opened the door slowly, double checking that Tuffnut was still in bed. She slinked over to the front door and opened it. Before leaving, Snotlout put his hand on Ruffnut's shoulder.

"Wanna get coffee or something tomorrow? We can talk then"

Ruffnut nodded.

"Sure. That place on campus?" She asked.

"Yeah. You free at noon?"

She nodded again. Snotlout left silently, leaving Ruffnut to shut the door behind him.

While it was probably in her best interest to sleep, she went into the bathroom to brush out her hair, and then went to the kitchen to make a pot of tea. She wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway; too much to think about.

"What are you doing?"

She turned around to see Tuffnut walking towards her, looking tired and grumpy.

"Making tea. Sorry, I didn't mean to be loud"

Tuffnut scowled and sat down at the island counter.

"Ugh, when did Snotty leave?"

The three had been watching a movie that night, although Tuffnut had went to bed before the movie was over.

"Couple hours ago" she lied.

Ruffnut poured boiling water into her mug and sat beside her brother.

"There's more water if you want some" she offered quietly. Tuffnut shook his head.

"Nah, I should go back to bed. Thanks for waking me up" he said sharply, although he kissed the top of her head before going back to his bedroom.

Ruffnut watched her teabag float around in her mug. Her mind was stuck on what had happened earlier. On _how _that had happened.

It wasn't until after their movie (which was terrible, if she was being honest), and she was preparing to go to bed.

"Ugh, if Hiccup has that chick over again tonight, I'm going to lose it" he had groaned.

Hiccup was Snotlout's roommate. She had never met him, but he hung out with Tuff and Snotlout sometimes. Recently, Snotlout had been complaining about Hiccup bringing a girl to his room overnight, keeping him awake.

"I bet. I'd be pissed off too" she agreed.

Snotlout scowled angrily.

"And it's not like I can complain, just in case _I _ever have a girl over"

Ruffnut could see the logic in that, although her and Tuff had an agreement not to have "friends" over at all. It seemed fair enough to her.

"Just sleep on our couch," she offered, "Tuff won't mind"

Snotlout considered this. It wasn't the most comfortable piece of furniture in the world, but it beat listening to Hiccup getting lucky.

"Yeah, okay"

Ruffnut went to find a blanket for Snotlout while he settled in. The twins' apartment was small and grey and rather untidy, but he could see why the two preferred it to the school dorms. They had a lot more freedom here than he did on campus, and while Hiccup was an okay roommate, he was a smart-ass and occasionally condescending, even if he didn't mean to be.

Snotlout was trying to find a comfortable position when Ruffnut dropped a heavy quilt on him.

"Do you mind if I turn on the TV in here? I usually watch something to help me fall asleep. I'll mute it" she asked as he spread the quilt over him.

"Uh, yeah that's fine"

He rolled over to stick his face in the couch cushions and tried to fall asleep. He waited for Ruffnut to sit down by his feet, but the other side remained empty. Confused, he turned his head and saw she was sitting on the floor, leaning lazily against the armrest of the couch.

"You can sit up here" he offered, curling up his legs so she'd have room to sit.

She looked up at him.

"I'm cool here" she answered stubbornly.

Snotlout rolled his eyes and sat up all the way. He patted the seat next to him for her to join him. She frowned, but hoisted herself onto the sofa anyway.

"I usually watch TV before bed too" he said, which wasn't actually true, but he didn't want to disturb her routine.

The two watched the program in silence. Snotlout wasn't paying attention to what exactly was playing; it was some Comedy Central show he had never heard of. It wasn't long until Ruffnut had fallen asleep, head slumped against the armrest and phone still lit up in her hand. Snotlout reached over to turn off her phone and shake her arm gently.

"Ruff, you're falling asleep" he whispered.

She groaned quietly and swatted at Snotlout.

"Go away, Tuff" she muttered.

Evidently, she was still asleep.

"Alright, c'mon Chicky, it's bedtime"

He stood up and grabbed her arm, leading her to her bedroom. She followed sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

She sat down on the edge of her bed and looked up at him. Was she waiting for him to do something?

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing's wrong"

The two looked at each other for an uncomfortable moment.

"Hey," he cleared his throat, "thanks for letting me stay here"

"No problem. Oh, by the way, our Wifi password is TuffSux, capital T, capital S"

He snorted.

"Clever"

Ruffnut grinned. Snotlout had to double-take. Maybe he was tired, or maybe his best friend's sister was just growing on him, but she looked undeniably beautiful. Her hair, which was normally braided, was free and fell down her back gracefully, and her smile (when it wasn't a mischievous grin) was soft and genuine.

"You're way hotter than your brother" he blurted out. Man, there was no recovering from saying something like that.

"Yeah, I know" she snickered.

They both laughed.

Snotlout approached her, and sat down beside her on the bed. They locked eyes again, traces of smiles still on their faces.

Without a moment of thought, Snotlout smashed his lips against hers. She was warm and tasted like cinnamon. To his surprise, she didn't recoil from his action, but instead joined in on the lustful moment.

There was no planning, no warning, not even a trace of a thought in her mind before then that this could've been a possibility. Snotlout rarely crossed her mind at all, even when she was actively talking to him. But just earlier that night, the boundaries between them were dissolved, creating a mess of their casual friendship.

Ruffnut passively sipped at her tea until she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. She set the mug by the sink and carried herself to bed, this time alone. She smoothed down the wrinkles where Snotlout had been laying, and laid awake until her mind wore itself out trying to process the evenings events. 


	6. Modern/College AU: Part 2

The two classes Ruffnut had before noon seemed impossibly long. She was unfocused and tired and she just couldn't get herself to type her notes fast enough to keep up with the lecture. To make matters worse, the girl that sat in front of her had been talking to her friend about getting laid the night before.

"Wow, Astrid, that's so unlike you!" Her friend whispered excitedly.

Astrid blushed, not taking her eyes away from the professor.

"I know! It wasn't even something we planned, but his roommate was out and it was just us, and it just kinda happened"

Ruffnut rolled her eyes, but her mind was also being dominated by last night's events. And even worse, after class she'd be having coffee with Snotlout, confronting him about what had happened between them. She had been going over thousands of scenarios all morning, and she still had no idea what she was going to say to him. In fact, she had been so distracted that she hadn't even realized that class had been dismissed.

She shoved her laptop in her bag and walked over to the center of campus. Right in the middle of Berk University's campus was a collection of restaurants, cafes, and a grocery store. Ruffnut glanced through the window of Dragon Cafe to see Snotlout sitting at a table. She took a deep breath and walked towards the building.

"Ruff!"

She halted and turned around to see her brother walking towards her. She muttered a profanity and faced Tuffnut, who was walking with a friend she had never met before.

"Sis, what's up?" He grinned, slapping a large hand on her shoulder.

"Um, I have a free period, so I'm getting coffee" she said, doing her best not to look at Snotlout through the window of the cafe.

"Man, I'd totally join you, except Hiccup and I have to get to Calc" he said, gesturing to the man behind him.

"Oh, the famous Hiccup"

She glanced at him, up and down. He was a lot skinnier than she expected.

"Oh yeah, Hiccup, this is my twin sister, Ruffnut" Tuffnut said, shoving her towards Hiccup. They shook hands quickly, before he and Tuffnut were on their way to class. Ruffnut grumbled, but then made her way to the coffee shop.

Snotlout was leaning over the table, swirling a stirring stick absently in his mug. When she sat down across from him, he looked up at her quickly, his face lighting up.

"Hey, Ruff"

She smiled tightly at him, and he frowned.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, sitting up a little straighter.

"No, just a long day" she answered.

"I'll go get you a coffee, what do you want?"

Ruffnut let him take her order to the barista while she sat and waited for him to return. She searched desperately for something to say to him. It was difficult coming up with something, mostly because she didn't know where they intended to go from here.

Snotlout returned with a foamy latte, which he placed gently in front of Ruffnut. She sipped from it, looking into the steaming mug to avoid her friend's nervous eyes.

"Should we talk about last night?" He asked quietly. His jaw was set anxiously, as if he was chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"Yeah, I guess we should"

Ruffnut sat down her mug and looked at Snotlout. He pressed his mouth into a line, but morphed it into a shy smile.

"I, for one, enjoyed myself" he stated.

Ruffnut couldn't help but tilt the corner of her mouth into a reluctant smile.

"Me too"

Snotlout released a sigh of relief, almost too subtle for her to notice. She didn't point it out, though.

"Do you think it's something that would happen again?" He asked quietly, eyes not quite meeting hers.

Ruffnut thought about this. There were a lot of things to consider. For one, there was no clarification of he meant a relationship or simply a habit of casual sex. She didn't want to ask. Regardless of it, there was the matter of breaking it to Tuffnut. Though he was a fairly good tempered man, there was no saying how he's react to knowing his best friend and his sister were in an intimate relationship.

All things considered, she knew what her answer was.

"Yes, I'd think so"

It was true, she did enjoy it. All of it; the sex, the closeness, the company, even the feeling of knowing she was breaking her agreement with Tuffnut.

"Wait, do you mean like a friends with benefits kind of thing, or us start dating sort of deal?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

Ruffnut didn't know the right answer. She wasn't a big fan of the idea of "friends with benefits". It seemed impersonal; insulting almost. However, saying outright that a relationship didn't sound so bad seemed too forward.

"Surprise me" she said coyly, half-joking. Better the ball in his court than in her, anyway.

Snotlout scrunched his nose for a only a moment, and then met her eyes again.

"Okay, well, how about I take you on a date?" He asked.

Ruffnut smiled, a tiny laugh coming out of her throat.

"Yeah, that sounds good"

Snotlout smiled back. He drummed his fingers against his long-forgotten coffee mug.

"Great, when and where?" He asked, pulling out his phone and opening his calander.

Ruffnut grinned.

"Surprise me"


	7. Insecurity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be a little OOC, but I really wanted to throw a Hurt/Comfort fic in here

Ruffnut Thorston had never been a crier. When she was sad, she would stay quiet and out of the way until she was over it. When she was angry, she'd storm off to be by herself until she cooled down. It wasn't very often either of those things would happen, as Ruffnut was, in general, a fairly happy girl. But like everyone, she had a breaking point. Deep beneath her careless, wild attitude, there were insecurities. They were kept well hidden, even from the person closest to her, so he hadn't known he was crossing a line when he did.

"Crazy about Hiccup and Astrid, right?" Tuffnut said as the two siblings got back to their hut. He cast his helmet into the corner and sat down on his bed.

"Yeah" Ruffnut agreed, leaning her spear against the wall.

"Do you think they're going to get married?"

Ruffnut was fairly certain they would. In fact, she hadn't a single doubt that they would be married within the next few years. However, marriage wasn't something she liked to think about.

"Probably" she said absently.

"Hiccup really lucked out. I mean, Astrid's the perfect girl. She's smart, beautiful, strong, even if she is kinda mean"

Ruffnut frowned.

"She's not _perfect_. Don't get me wrong, I love her, but she's not the only great Viking girl out there" she said, hoping her brother would agree with her.

Tuffnut smirked at her.

"Are you kidding, she's way better than you. She's Astrid. She's the best, no competition" he said, as if what he was saying was the objective truth.

Which it was. In eighteen years, no one had ever given Ruffnut the same praise that Astrid got. Even her mom would comment on how she should "learn a thing or two from that Hofferson girl instead of messing around with your brother". It was almost as if people forgot that Ruffnut was also a girl, and a fierce one at that, which upset her more than it probably should.

"You really think she's better than me?"

Ruffnut tried to keep from sounding hurt. She didn't need to give Tuff another reason to tease her.

"Duh, everyone does" he laughed.

Her heart sank.

"Yeah, I guess you're right" she said quietly, "I'm going to go feed Barf and Belch. I'll see you later"

She left unceremoniously while Tuffnut was distracted with Chicken. She wasn't even entirely sure he heard her. At the stables, she tossed some cod in front of her dragon, and left. A walk through the forest would clear her head.

***

Snotlout's dinner was cold, chewy, and left him unsatisfied, but with the entire Edge worn out after the Shellfire situation, he had the sensibility to keep his mouth shut. Besides, there were other things to worry about. No one had seen either of the twins all evening, which wouldn't have been worrying if it wasn't the twins.

"Are Barf and Belch still in the stables?" Astrid asked, glancing nervously at Fishlegs. He nodded his head in response.

"Did we actually try checking their hut? Maybe they just never got the dinner memo" Snotlout suggested, spooning some beans into his mouth.

Hiccup and Astrid both darted towards the twins' hut, leaving Fishlegs and Snotlout to wait.

"It's weird they wouldn't take their dragon. They never go anywhere without him" Fishlegs muttered nervously.

Snotlout shrugged. He had no doubt in his mind that they were off somewhere, playing the dangerous games they played together.

"We found Tuff" Hiccup announced, returning to the clubhouse with Astrid and Tuffnut behind him.

"You missed dinner" Snotlout said. Either Tuff hadn't heard him or he was ignoring him. Both equally possible.

"Hey, have you guys seen Ruffnut?" He asked. He looked stressed, as if he'd been searching for her for a while. Snotlout and Fishlegs both shook their heads.

"Why isn't she with you?" Astrid asked. Tuffnut shrugged in response.

"I don't know. We were just talking and then she just walked out on me"

Hiccup frowned.

"If she's not back by sundown, we'll go look for her, okay?"

Everyone agreed, then parted ways. Snotlout and Hookfang went back to their hut to get some sleep before night patrol. He settled in and fell asleep, but it wasn't long before there was a knock on the door. Snotlout grumbled and went to answer it. It was Fishlegs, handing over the patrol shift.

"Did Ruff come back?" He asked before leaving.

Fishlegs shook his head.

"No. Hiccup and Tuff are out looking for her" he said. Snotlout nodded and took off for patrol.

It was a dry, windy night. The kind that howled through the trees and cliffs. Snotlout shivered as Hookfang looped circles around the island.

He double checked all the Night Terrors were safe on their perches, ready to warn The Edge of an attack. As he was making his way to the watch tower, a silvery glint of something caught his eye from the ground. Worried it was a hunter, Snotlout silently swooped down to get a better look at it. Hookfang landed on the ground, so the two could look through the bushes at the silver thing. What he saw was Ruffnut, perched on a rock, scooting a stick in the dirt to make a nonobjective pattern.

"Ruff, oh my Thor, there you are!" He exclaimed, jumping off Hookfang to go greet her. His enthusiasm was not returned.

"Hey Snotlout" she said quietly.

Snotlout furrowed his eyebrows. Ruffnut didn't look so good. She was shivering, and clearly upset.

"What the Hel are you doing all the way on the other side of the island?"

He took his bear fur cape off and wrapped it around her shoulders. She didn't look up at him, but she leaned into the warmth of the cape.

"Just needed some space" she answered.

Snotlout sat down beside her.

"Seriously, what's wrong?"

The stick she had been holding was tossed across the small clearing and into a bush. Hookfang excitedly went after it, laying it next to Snotlout. He stroked the dragon's snout, but didn't pick up the stick.

"Tuff and I were fighting" she said shortly, resting her chin in the palm of her hand.

"Really? He didn't say that. He's really worried about you" Snotlout said with a frown.

Ruffnut grumbled quietly and shifted back and forth uneasily.

"Okay, we weren't actually fighting. He didn't know what he was saying..."

"Wait, what did he say to you?"

Ruff and Tuff argued often, but there never was venom in the words they spoke to each other. It wasn't impossible that Tuff had struck a nerve, but it wasn't much like him.

"He just... I was..." she began. She was slumped and lifeless, so unlike the Ruffnut he was used to. "Snotlout, do you think I'm smart? Or strong or beautiful?"

Snotlout was taken by surprise. Ruffnut had never been one to care about others' opinions, and certainly never his. She wasn't bothered with vanity, and sometimes not even bothered with being clean. But all things considered, she was a naturally beautiful girl. Snotlout had always thought so.

"Yeah, of course" he answered.

Ruffnut turned to meet his eyes for the first time.

"Really? You think I'm smart, like Astrid? You think I'm strong and fierce, like Astrid? You think I'm beautiful and perfect like Astrid?" she hissed.

Snotlout stood up in front of her and offered his hand to pull her up.

"I really do. You might not be book smart, but you have your moments. And you're incredibly strong. You're a dragon rider warrior for Thor's sake! And of course you're beautiful, Ruff. You're incredibly beautiful" he said honestly, holding her cold hands in his.

Ruffnut looked down at the lines she had drawn in the dirt with a disheartened frown.

"Did Tuffnut tell you that you weren't?" he asked.

Ruffnut shook her head.

"No, he didn't say that _exactly. _But he kept saying how much better Astrid is than me" she said quietly.

"Ruff, you shouldn't listen to a thing he says. He probably doesn't even believe that. I know I don't. I'd take you over Astrid any day"

Ruffnut took a step back to glower at him.

"Oh please, you were obsessed with her like a year ago"

"Hey, opinions change. Besides, she got stuck with dumb ol' Hiccup" he said.

Ruffnut snickered quietly, her eyes meeting his.

"I'm freezing. We should go back" she said, a trace of a smile on her lips.

Snotlout lulled her into a brief hug before calling Hookfang over. He got on behind her, holding her by the waist. He wasn't sure if he was crossing a boundary, but she didn't seem to mind, nor did she say anything.

They landed at the now empty clubhouse to let Ruffnut get back to her hut. She assured Snotlout that she'd talk things out with her brother, hopefully making her feel better about their last conversation. Before Hookfang took off again to finish patrol, Ruffnut dragged Snotlout off the dragon's back and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you" she whispered into his hair before letting go and making her way back to her hut.

Snotlout watched her knock on the door and be greeted by a relieved Tuffnut before taking off. He smiled to himself, because what he had said was true. She really is beautiful.


	8. "Will You Marry Me"

**Modern AU **

Ruffnut and Snotlout sat in comfortable silence together in his apartment. They were lounging on the couch, each doing their own thing. Snotlout was fiddling with a pen that had gotten stuck, mostly for something to keep his hands busy with. Ruffnut was playing some sort of tapping game on her phone, her nails hitting the screen being the only sound between the two. The silence was broken when Snotlout had gotten frustrated with his pen and tossed it onto the counter.

"Nice going, Fix It Felix" Ruffnut muttered to him, not looking away from her game. Snotlout sneered at her and picked up his cell phone. He glanced at the screen and then at his girlfriend.

"Fishlegs invited us over tonight, you interested?"

Ruffnut looked up at him, setting down her phone.

"What's the occasion?" she asked.

"I don't think there is one"

Ruffnut shrugged, then stood up to stand next to Snotlout.

"Yeah, alright. Sounds better than hanging out with your boring butt tonight" she said with snicker.

Snotlout rolled his eyes.

"Oh please, you love my butt"

Ruffnut pulled him into a half hug and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"I sure do"

The two made the effort to look nice for Fishlegs' hang out, although they spent so much time at their friends' houses that it didn't really matter.

Fishlegs' house was nothing like what one would expect a young man's home to be. It was clean, homey, and scattered with plants on every surface. He took his fair share of teasing from Snotlout about his house being "girly", but despite that it was the place the group of friends hung out the most. It was just nicer than Snotlout's cruddy apartment or Hiccup's flat with unbelievably noisy neighbors.

Ruffnut, approached the small house, hand in hand with Snotlout, and rapped on the door.

"Come in!" Was shouted from the living room. Knocking was hardly necessary, but it came mostly out of habit that she knocked on every door before entering (after an unfortunate incident of walking in on her brother in an indecent state).

The two entered and immediately sat down on the plush sofa. Next the them was Hiccup and Fishlegs, who were in the middle of a conversation only the two of them could understand. It was only the four of them, which was odd.

"Where's Astrid and Tuff?" Ruffnut asked.

Hiccup pointed towards the back door, which was ajar.

"Messing with the telescope. You guys should go check it out"

Evidently this get-together was for Fishlegs to show his friends his new telescope. He and Hiccup took the couple into the backyard to admire the device. It was admittedly very impressive and intimidatingly intricate. Astrid was toying with the dials on the side and looking into the eyepiece.

"Is there anything to see?" Ruffnut asked, hovering over Astrid while she worked. The sun hadn't fully set, and the sky was a handsome grey-blue, but there wasn't a star to see.

"Not yet, I'm just trying to get the spotter focused" she said distractedly while peering into a smaller scope on the side of the telescope.

"I'm so excited! This is the same model Berk University uses. It's really high-end" Fishlegs gushed.

As the sky grew darker, it became colder. Snotlout went to the car to get sweaters for himself and Ruffnut, and Hiccup and Astrid were wrapped together in a blanket. Slowly the sky became speckled with stars until entire constellations could be formed. As a final touch, the porch light was turned off.

"The clarity is amazing" Fishlegs said, eye pressed to the telescope. They each took a turn to look into the scope. It was directed at the moon; and handsome half-circle in the middle of the sky. Fishlegs was right, the clarity of the telescope was incredible, and brought every crater of the moon to life.

"Wow" Ruffnut admired when it was her turn to look. While she was distracted, Snotlout exchanged a knowing look with his friends and giving a subtle thumbs up. Hiccup and Astrid announced they too were going to get jackets from his car. Fishlegs and Tuff went inside to the kitchen and pretended to look busy.

Snotlout stood quietly behind Ruffnut while she squinted into the telescope.

"Man, this thing is cool! It looks so real" she marveled.

"Sweetie, it _is _real"

"You know what I mean" she said, standing up to face Snotlout. To her surprise, he was knelt down in front of her, holding out a thin, beautiful ring.

"Snot..."

"Ruff, you're weird, you're spontaneous, you're beautiful. You're incredible. You have no idea how much you mean to me, and how much it would mean to me if you would be with me forever. Will you marry me?"

The corners of Ruffnut's mouth quivered in delight, her eyes watery and glowing.

"Of course" she said quietly.

Snotlout grinned widely and scooped her into a firm hug after slipping the ring onto her finger. It wasn't long before they were joined by four more bodies enclosing them into a large tangle of arms.

There was a celebratory toast of champagne that had been dug out of one of Fishlegs' cabinets, and the group spread out to continue their own activities. Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs were occupied with the telescope, pointing out different celestial bodies to each other. Ruffnut was standing close by, half-listening while admiring her new ring. It was humble, yet captivating and beautiful. It was perfect.

"Congratulations Sis"

Tuffnut approached Ruffnut to close her into a hug. She smiled st her twin, who had been surprisingly lowkey all night.

"Thanks Tuff" she said with a smile.

"And don't worry, I had the 'big brother' talk with Snotty over there" he said, pointing to where Snotlout stood across the yard, on the phone with his mother to tell her the news.

Ruffnut rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, stop pretending you're older. I've got a good fourteen minutes on you" she said with a smile. Tuffnut slugged her arm gently before walking away to do Thor-knows-what.

Ruffnut sat down on a wooden patio chair. That night had been overwhelming, and she was beginning to wear out. Soon, Snotlout came up to her to wrap his arms around her from behind.

"Tired?"

"Yeah, a bit" she said.

He pulled her to her feet and entwined his fingers with hers.

"We're gonna head home. Thank you guys for a great night, we'll see you tomorrow"

"Goodnight!" said Hiccup.

"Congrats!" said Astrid, face still buried in the telescope.

"Drive safe!" said Fishlegs.

"No sex until marriage!" Tuffnut called as the two left through the house.

"Tch, that ship has sailed" Ruffnut muttered to her fiance, making the two laugh as they made their way to Snotlout's little white Mazda. He started the car and clicked off the radio. He turned his head to watch Ruffnut fasten the seatbelt over herself. When she felt herself being watched, she faced towards him.

"What?" she asked.

Snotlout smiled gently.

"Nothing. I just can't wait to marry you"


	9. "Are You Jealous?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this one's kinda weak, but with midterms coming up school's kicking my butt ://

The Edge had significantly calmed down after the Changewings had continued their migration and Throk had left the island without a wife. It brought the Dragon Riders a new appreciation for Ruffnut. Tuffnut had been smothering her in his weird brotherly love, but she didn't seem to entirely mind. Even Astrid had made a comment about the team not being complete without Ruff.

Ruffnut, who was not accustomed to flattery that wasn't deliberately backhanded, accepted her friends' compliments awkwardly and tried to smooth over the events in favor of a normal evening. She made dinner, which Tuffnut complained about, and took on Fishlegs in a game of Maces and Talons. The night continued to be pleasingly mundane until Ruffnut was approached by Snotlout. She was in the stables, tossing fish into Barf and Belch's eager mouths.

"Hey" he said lamely, standing behind the Viking girl. She looked over her shoulder at him as she threw a final mackerel at Barf.

"What's up, Snotty?"

He stepped in front of her to lean against the wooden frame of Meatlug's cage.

"I just wanted to say that I'm glad you're staying on The Edge" he said. He felt uncomfortable making eye contact with her, but he was almost afraid to look away. Her eyes were extraordinarily unreadable as she shifted her weight back and forth.

"I'd have thought you'd want one less Thorston around here" she half-joked.

Snotlout shook his head.

"Nah, you keep life interesting. Plus I wouldn't have been able to comprehend you marrying Throk when _I've _been working these pythons in front of you for years" he said, also half-joking, while flexing his bicep for her. She chuckled softly.

"I didn't know those were for me"

"They're for anyone who wants them, babe. But all joking aside, it really would have bothered me if you had gone to Defenders Of The Wing with Throk. Not that he's not a great guy, he just doesn't deserve you" he said, standing up straight.

Ruffnut scanned with over, looking for any hint of joking. It wasn't often she received compliments, especially coming from Snotlout, who rarely gave any that weren't for himself.

"You think so?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do. Maybe I'm just being biased, though"

The gears were beginning to turn in Ruffnut's head. She realized that this wasn't an "I appreciate you" speech, this was Snotlout's way of confessing feelings.

"Wait a second. Are you _jealous_?" She asked incredulously, trying hard not to sound like she was making fun of him. She was, a little, but she had the feeling this was about to become a more serious conversation.

Snotlout fidgeted with his belt.

"Well, not anymore now that you turned The Throk-ster away" he said quietly.

"What are you trying to say, Snotlout?" she asked. All traces of humor had abandoned her voice.

"I'm not even sure I'm trying to say anything. Ruff, I like you, okay? I think you're great, and I'm glad you didn't leave because frankly that would've killed me. It doesn't take a genius to see that I was jealous. To prove that, I'm pretty sure Tuff was catching onto me..."

He took a deep breath, hoping to get control of his rambling. Ruffnut was looking at him with her eyebrows cocked in a mix of confusion and bashfullness.

"I'm trying to say that I like you. Plain and simple. I'm extremely attracted to you, and I was jealous when I thought you were going to go off and marry Throk. Happy?"

The corners of Ruff's mouth twitched. Snotlout suddenly felt embarrassed for spewing his feelings for her.

Ruffnut smiled.

"Yeah. I am happy" she said. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before pressing her lips down onto his briefly. Snotlout's face flushed brightly, having been taken by surprise.

She turned to give Barf and Belch goodnight pats before leaving the stables without another word. Snotlout was left dumbfounded where he stood, feeling exceptionally content by their conversation.


	10. "It's Too Cold"

The Dragon Riders were trapped indoors. Flurries of snow and wind dominated the atmosphere as the six teenage Vikings and their dragons huddled inside the clubhouse. There was a fire going, but even locked safely inside, the air had a harsh bite to it. Snotlout had Hookfang's wing wrapped around him, trying to keep himself warm enough to fall asleep. He would've been perfectly content going back to his own hut, but Hiccup insisted that the wind speeds would be too rough on the dragons. 

Most everyone was asleep. Hiccup and Toothless were wrapped together in a cocoon on the floor, the only evidence of the boy underneath being the puff of brown hair that was tucked tightly against the Night Fury's body. Astrid was reclined comfortably against Stormfly, a yak pelt blanketing her. Fishlegs and Meatlug were piled in a corner together contentedly. They all slept so soundly that it irritated Snotlout that he couldn't find himself comfortable enough to fall asleep. He gazed to his left. Ruff and Tuff were sitting against the wall, each holding a ZippleBack head in their laps. As Tuffnut's chest rose and fell softly, Belch's head bobbed gently, lulled by the rythm of the boy's breathing. Barf too was asleep, nuzzled against Ruffnut's body lovingly. It took Snotlout a while to see it, but after a few moments of watching, it was clear Ruffnut wasn't asleep. Her breaths were uneven and her fingers were fiddling with Barf's scales. 

"Can't sleep?" He said quietly. 

Ruffnut's eyes opened and looked at him. 

"No. It's too cold" she groaned, pulling Barf closer to her. The dragon snuffed but didn't wake. 

"I know. Stupid Hiccup should just let us go to our huts" 

She nodded in agreement. 

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure this was just his excuse to be around Astrid all night" she whispered bitterly. 

Snotlout scoffed quietly and stood up. Cursing himself for not bringing his cape or a heavier coat, he stepped quietly towards the door of the clubhouse and peeked between the thin cracks of the structure. There wasn't much to see outside. The snow had let up only a fraction of an amount, and wind was still whistling. He could barely see the deck in front of the clubhouse, let alone the rest of The Edge. He tried to imagine poor Hookfang trying to walk through that storm and decided that staying put was his only option. 

He sat down in the middle of the halfmoon shape of Hookfang's body and tucked himself close to the dragon. Perk of Monstrous Nightmares: body heat. Ruffnut too had wrapped herself around Barf's head, trying to create enough warmth to comfortably fall asleep. Snotlout studied her as she moved around awkwardly. 

"Come here" he whispered softly. 

She lifted her head to see Snotlout extending an arm out, an invitation for her to join him and Hookfang. She gently lifted Barf's head from her lap and scooted herself across the floor. Snotlout wrapped an arm around her, then softly nudged Hookfang to place his wing over the two of them. Ruffnut didn't hesitate to nestle herself against Snotlout. Their combined body heat was enough for the two to get comfortable enough to fall asleep, wrapped around each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops I missed like 4 days while I was visiting a friend. This one's kinda short, but I'm slowly running out of ideas yikes


	11. Domestic Rufflout: Part 1

From the moment her daughter was born, Ruffnut had a difficult time being more than five feet away from her. Snotlout found this funny, considering how worried Ruff had been during her pregnancy that she wouldn't have a strong connection to the child. But in the two short weeks since her daughter had been born, Ruff just couldn't keep her distance. Snotlout had _finally _convinced his wife to let the baby sleep in her own bed instead of between her two parents. However, this meant Ruff was worrying herself over the most inconceivable things all night.

Snotlout was complaining about this to Hiccup and Astrid who had also become parents not too long ago.

"It's so weird! Ruff was never like this before" he said between sips of mead.

Astrid let out a breathy chuckle.

"That's how it is with new moms, Snotlout. You have to give her time to adjust"

Snotlout looked down at the table. Poor Ruffnut hadn't left their hut in a while. She spent every waking moment with the baby and seemed to have no interest in going out to do anything, even when Tuff offered to take her out for some good old arson. It was nothing like the Ruffnut he was used to.

Snotlout explained this to his friends. He didn't want them to get the wrong idea; he was head over heels in love with his daughter, and he was relieved that Ruff was able to connect with her. But he was beginning to worry about her obsessive anxiousness over the little girl.

"Astrid was like that for the first few weeks too. I swear to Thor she couldn't put Zephyr down, even for me to hold her" Hiccup laughed. Astrid shot him a threatening look but laughed anyway.

"Just be patient with her. She'll come around when she's used to the whole mom thing" Astrid assured him.

Snotlout nodded softly, tipped the rest of the mead into his mouth, and went back to his hut. Ruff was sat in a chair by the fire holding a bundle of blankets close to her chest. It really was a nice sight to come home to.

He bent down to give Ruff a kiss on the forehead and offered to take the baby. She handed the little girl over reluctantly, then got out of the chair to stretch her legs out.

"You alright, sweetie?" He asked. Ruffnut was frowning and had her eyebrows knit together.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine. Just emotional"

Snotlout stood up. With one arm still tucked under the baby, he wrapped his other arm around Ruff.

"You should go do something fun with Tuff. I can stay here with her" he said, nodding towards the sleeping baby. She looked like she was about to argue, but couldn't find a good enough excuse.

"Are you sure?" She asked softly, giving anxious glances towards her daughter.

"Of course. I'll take care of her"

Ruffnut looked skeptical, but took Snotlout up on his offer anyway. She left to go find her brother, leaving her husband and baby cuddled together by the fire.

The little girl was sleeping quietly, her tiny mouth parted and her eyes shut softly. Snotlout smiled at her, admiring her absolute perfection.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered to her, "just like your mother".

It was true, although she looked a lot like Snotlout. Too much like Snotlout, if you asked Tuffnut. Her hair was blonde, but otherwise she looked like a Jorganson. She was beautiful all the same.

Snotlout thought about setting the little girl in her bassinet, but he knew as soon as Ruff came home she'd have the baby in her arms, so there was no point in putting her to bed. Instead, he sat down in the chair by the fire, pulled a yak pelt over the two of them, and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you @MysteriousSunshine for the idea! I'll do part two tomorrow.


	12. Domestic Rufflout: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this ones pretty short, but I'm sick AND I have midterms this week. College is kicking my ass I tell you what

Snotlout was woken from a comfortable sleep by the sound of Ruffnut and Tuffnut coming into the hut. They were both laughing and their faces were flushed, likely returning after a flight on Barf and Belch. She gave Snotlout a smile which he returned sleepily.

"How's my baby doing?" She cooed as she lifted the sleeping child from his arms.

"I'm fine, thanks" Tuffnut joked, plopping himself down on the floor by the fire. Ruff shot him a dirty look as she cradled the baby against her chest.

"She slept the whole time" Snotlout said. He stood up to give his wife a kiss on the cheek.

"That's good"

Snotlout poked at the fire, making it flare up hotter and brighter. It brought a warm light on the domestic scene.

Tuffnut stood up and convinced Ruff to let him hold the baby. After she passed her over, Snotlout slinked his arms around her, pulling her into a warm embrace.

"How was being away from the hut for the first time?" He asked.

"It was fun. It won't be _quite _as fun when Astrid sees what we did to her fence. But in our defense, it was really funny"

It was nice having classic Ruffnut back, as wonderful as overprotective mom Ruffnut is. He chuckled and pressed his lips against hers. Tuffnut made a gagging sound, causing Ruff to send a swift kick to his shin. He grimaced, but didn't flinch with the baby in his arms. He too had taken to the little girl very well, surprising Snotlout with his caring instincts. It was nice to know so many people loved the child and were willing to take care of her. Certainly it was comfort to Ruff as well, who was skeptical of anyone except herself, Snotlout and Tuff holding the baby.

Ruffnut gave Snotlout another soft smooch before taking the girl from her brother. Tuffnut soon went back to his own home, leaving the little family by themselves.

"I missed her so much" Ruffnut said quietly, nuzzling her nose against the baby's. She made a breathy sound, but didn't wake.

"It'll get easier" Snotlout said. He was standing beside her, admiring both her and their daughter.

"Gods, I hope so. I'm pretty sure my heart was breaking just being away from her for an hour"

"Well at least you can rub it in Tuff's face that he was wrong. You aren't a terrible mother. You're the best" he said with a grin. Ruffnut beamed at him and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Ruffnut set the baby in the bassinet for the night, then followed her husband to bed. It was obvious she was exhausted, but she was smiling.

"What's got you so happy?" Snotlout asked as he tucked himself under the fur blankets. Ruffnut turned on her side so they were facing each other.

"Everything. I'm just really happy" she said quietly.

The two looked at each other through tired eyes, both indescribably happy.

"Yeah. Me too"


	13. Blind Date

**Modern/College AU**

Snotlout hissed as the open door brough in a flurry of unwelcome cold. Hiccup trudged into the apartment, kicking off his dripping snow boots at the door.

"Let the snow in a little longer, will ya?" He grumbled from the refuge of a fleece blanket he had wrapped around him. Hiccup sneered at him, but joined him on the sofa. January in Berk was a miserable time of year. It was the pit of low temperatures, and after the holidays were over, life seemed dull and mundane.

"Do you have a class tonight?" Hiccup asked, brushing a layer of watery snow off of his hair.

"No, only Mondays" Snotlout replied. He was grateful he didn't have anywhere to go in this miserable weather.

Hiccup nodded approvingly.

"I'd stay in with you, but I've got a date tonight" he said, barely concealing pride. Hiccup had been seeing Astrid for a few weeks now. A beautiful, intelligent girl that cared about only three things: School, her pet parrot, and Hiccup.

"Tch, of course you do. I haven't had a date since eleventh grade" Snotlout complained for the hundredth time.

"That's not true, didn't you go to the bank with Fishlegs last week?"

Snotlout shot his roommate a dirty look, causing him to chuckle.

"Very funny"

"If you're _that _desperate, maybe Astrid has a friend we can set you up with. Like a blind date sort of thing" he offered, standing up from the couch and going into the kitchenette.

He pressed a button on the coffeemaker, startling a black lump that was sitting behind it on the counter. The silky black cat leapt from the kitchen to the living room, where he ducked under the coffee table. Snotlout scowled at the creature, but he ignored it and quickly fell asleep.

"I didn't know Astrid had time for friends with all that studying she does"

"Hey, at least she actually studies. Tell me again how many classes you're failing this semester?" Hiccup snarked. Snotlout rolled his eyes.

"Fine, see if she had any single friends. She has to be hot though" he said.

"Of course, your highness"

Hiccup brought back two mugs of coffee to the living room, handing one to Snotlout. He sat down, and immediately the cat from under the table scrambled to sit on his lap. Snotlout frowned at it.

"Your animal best not have eaten Hookfang, or we're going to have problems" he grumbled.

Hiccup shook his head.

"Why can't you just keep him in a tank like a normal person? Lizards aren't meant to be free-roaming in a University apartment"

"Hookfang is a free bitch! He hates the tank"

Snotlout hadn't actually seen Hookfang in a day or so. It wasn't uncommon for the lizard to get lost in the apartment, though he (miraculously) never wandered away. It was a mystery on why the thing even stuck around, especially with Hiccup's cat occupying the same small space.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. He reached over for the remote and clicked on the TV. The two roommates let the noise of the news channel fill the hour until Hiccup got up to prepare for his date. As he was wrapping himself up in a parka and scarf, he called out to Snotlout, who was half asleep on the couch.

"Still want me to talk to Astrid?"

Snotlout blinked at him for a moment before remembering what he was talking about.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks"

Hiccup slipped on his boots and left the apartment, letting another unpleasant chill into the room.

***

It was the next that Hiccup and Snotlout were having lunch together in their apartment. Hiccup was telling his roommate the details of his date the night before. Snotlout wasn't particularly interested, but he and Hiccup didn't have much to talk about otherwise.

"She doesn't seem like the kind of girl who likes Space Balls" Snotlout snickered between bites of fried rice.

Hiccup laughed.

"I know, right? It might be the worst movie ever made, and I sat through the whole thing last night"

"The things we'd do to get laid" Snotlout said, earning himself a disapproving head shake from Hiccup, although he was still laughing.

"Speaking of getting laid, does Astrid have any hot sorority sisters that might want a piece of the Snot-man?"

"You know Astrid's not in a sorority, right? But she does have a friend that she thinks might be able to tolerate you, if you're interested" he said, poking a chopstick through a pile of rice.

"Eh, good enough for me"

Snotlout stood up from the counter to toss his plate by the sink when a red, scaly thing caught his eye.

"Hooky!"

He picked up the lizard from the sink and placed him on his shoulder. Hiccup looked over and chuckled.

"That's a good look for you, Snotlout. You should just bring him on your date. You'll win her over in no time" he teased.

"Speaking of which, when is this supposed date?" He asked. Hookfang scuttled up the side of his head and nuzzled himself in his hair.

"I'll text Astrid. She can ask her friend when she's free" Hiccup said, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket to send a text to his girlfriend. Not before clicking a picture of Hookfang nested in Snotlout's hair, however.

Only a few minutes passed before Hiccup's phone buzzed.

"She said she's free tonight if you're interested. I can just tell her where and when you wanna go"

Snotlout considered pretending he was busy tonight, but felt like it was too childish to play hardball.

"Yeah, alright. Have Astrid tell her Dragon Cafe at 8, I guess"

Hiccup's thumbs danced across his phone screen. There was another buzz.

"Alright, it's a date" he confirmed, giving Snotlout a thumbs up.

It's a date.

***

Despite the terrible weather, Snotlout walked to the cafe. It was on campus, so there was no point in driving.

Snotlout had never been on a blind date before, so he didn't exactly know what to expect. He didn't even remember the girl's name, as it was something peculiar. What he did know was that he was looking for a woman with long, blonde hair that was wearing a blue fleece jacket.

As it turns out, there was only one person in the cafe at that time of night. From outside of the building he could tell she was very pretty, if in an unconventional way.

When he entered, a small chime rang, and the girl's eyes shot up to look at him. He could feel her looking him over, trying to form an initial opinion.

"Uh, hey" he greeted quietly.

She gave a small, almost uninterested wave. She already had a steaming mug in front of her, and Snotlout hoped she hadn't been waiting for him too long. He took his hat off to shake the snow out of it, and shoved it im n his coat pocket. Then he sat down across from her at the little round table.

"I'm Snotlout"

He stuck his hand out. She reached over, gave it a single shake, and looked him right in the eyes.

"Ruffnut"

He bit back the urge to say 'What kind of name is Ruffnut?', but he realized he didn't have much room to speak.

He tried to think of a conventional conversation starter.

"So, uh, you're a friend of Astrid's?"

Ruffnut shrugged.

"More or less. I hang out with her and her roommate some. And you're her boyfriend's roommate, right?"

He nodded.

"That must drive you crazy, huh? It would for me" she said. 

Snotlout shrugged.

"She doesn't come over a whole lot, actually"

They chatted for a while, mostly small talk, not knowing how to really break into a conversation. Snotlout broke apart from her for a moment to order a coffee. When he sat back down, Ruffnut was looking at the posters pinned to a bulletin board on the wall.

"Wanna go ice skating?" She asked when he sat down. He followed her eyes to an advertisement for the skating rink downtown. He frowned.

"Right now?"

She nodded, looking back to him.

Snotlout had gone ice skating maybe once, and only because Fishlegs and Hiccup wanted to. He was supremely terrible at it, and certainly wouldn't look too attractive trying to skate.

"I don't know, I'm not great at it" he said.

Ruffnut laughed, which caught him off guard.

"It'll be fun," she said. "Let's go"

She didn't leave him time to argue. After tossing her empty coffee cup, she stood up and waited for him to follow her. Without much of an option, he walked out of the coffee shop, and followed her to her car. He huddled wordlessly in his jacket, wishing he'd put up more of a fight. He liked Ruffnut plenty. She was beautiful and easy to talk to, but he hardly knew her, and hadn't exchanged more than niceties with her.

"So, do you live on campus?" He asked, mostly to break the silence. It was also a good distraction from her rather reckless driving.

"No, I live in the same building as Astrid. It's a lot nicer than those dumpy University ones"

Snotlout couldn't help but agree.

"Do you live alone, then?"

She shook her head.

"No I share the place with my brother. Not ideal, but better than having a stranger as a roommate, I guess"

The conversation ended when they reached the ice rink. It was in the middle of the plaza of downtown Berk, and it had a rather festive atmosphere. It was a nice contrast to the grey of January. Ruffnut paid for tickets, Snotlout paid for rental skates. He fastened them on with an embarrassing amount of difficulty, and stood up. He wobbled uncomfortably and balanced himself by gripping the back of a bench. Ruffnut, who had swiftly put on her skates and was waiting patiently, laughed quietly at his struggle. He grumbled and straitened himself up slowly.

"I warned you, I suck at this"

Ruffnut offered her arm for him to hold as they walked from the building onto the ice. It was open air and the cold stung his cheeks, but his main focus was on staying on his feet.

When they reached the ice, Snotlout released Ruffnut's arm in favor of a fence that enclosed the rink. Ruffnut, however, gracefully made the transition, gliding a few smooth circles before looping back to her date.

"Wow, you really do suck. You're worse than Astrid" she commented. Snotlout frowned at her, but enjoyed the picture of Astrid, in all her sophistication, tripping over her own blades clumsily.

Ruffnut managed to coax him away from the fence. He made minuscule movements, trying to find the balance he had taken for granted. When Ruffnut offered her hand to him, he accepted wordlessly. He relied on her as they moved towards the center of the rink. It was a bit of a mess, with most people skating laps around the circular area. He dared himself to let go of her and inch across the ice in a stepping motion, as opposed to Ruffnut's balletic glides.

It was after several falls that he managed to turn his awkward scooting into something that could may be considered skating. By this time, his cheeks and nose were numb from the windchill, and Ruffnut had her arms crossed over herself.

"I don't think I'm getting much better than this" he admitted as Ruffnut skated lazy circles around him.

"No, probably not," she said with a chuckle. "Maybe we could try again next week"

Snotlout looked at her. She seemed sincere, though she was shivering slightly.

"Yeah, I think maybe we could"

He began scooting himself towards the rink entrance, trying to get more than a microscopic movement. After a minute of slowly skating beside him, Ruffnut sighed, entwined her gloved fingers with his, and pulled him towards the rec building. He pulled his skates off, more than grateful to be back in his own boots, and returned both pairs to the desk.

They made their way to Ruffnut's little car. He helped her brush the snow off the windshield, and enjoyed the refuge from the wind. Not thinking much of it, he found her free hand, and tangled it into his own.

"I know you like skating, what else do you do?" He asked to fill the silence.

Ruffnut shrugged.

"Not much, actually. Mostly just hang out with my brother"

"You guys are close then?"

She smiled, in a way that could _almost _be described as devious.

"Yeah. We're twins. I guess it's like having a best friend for your whole life" she said.

Snotlout, being an only child, couldn't quite relate.

"I see. Do you have any pets?"

This time, Ruffnut grinned a wide grin.

"I have a snake. My brother does too actually, so I guess I have two snakes. They're really cool. Pretty cuddly actually" she laughed. Snotlout cringed at the idea of snuggling under a blanket with a snake.

"I have a lizard. He's cool, but he mostly just does his own thing. I'm always worried Hiccup's damn cat is going to eat him"

Ruffnut laughed. She squeezed his hand slightly, making his heartbeat flutter for a moment.

When Ryffnut pulled up in front of Snotlout's apartment, he quickly added her number to his phone.

"So, you think we'll go out again?" She asked, smiling at him. He smiled back shamelessly.

"Definitely"

He crawled out of her car and walked up the icy steps to his apartment. He twisted the door handle, knowing Hiccup hadn't bothered locking it, and stepped into the apartment.

"Let the snow in a little longer, will ya?"

Hiccup was seated on the couch, a cup of coffee in his hands. Snotlout rolled his eyes as he discarded his winter gear, and plopped himself down next to him.

"So, how was the date?" Hiccup asked, pressing the mute button on the TV.

Snotlout grinned to himself.

"Incredible, actually"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's hella long, whoops. I got a sudden burst of inspiration for the first time in over a week.


	14. "How Can I Help You?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kinda on an AU streak. I was going to do a summer camp au fic today, but it's taking me longer than I thought, so I'll save it for another day. I just kinda pulled this one out of my ass, so it's not the best but what can you do ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**Modern AU **

Snotlout walked into the local greenhouse, not because he loved plants, but because he needed a suitable gift for his mother's birthday, who did. He gave some thought to a shelf of leafy houseplants, prodding at dirt to find information on the plants. He pulled a tag out of one of the pots and began reading the tiny lettering. Unfortunately, he didn't know much about plants, and all the information (including the name) was meaningless to him.

He made a lap around the greenhouse, trying to find something particularly special he could bring home to his mom. When nothing caught his eye, he scanned the room for an employee. With all the tall shrubbery, he couldn't quite see around, but the sound of running water was a telltale sign of someone giving the plants a drink.

He followed the sound to a tall, blonde girl who was swaying a hose over a display of yellow flowers.

"Hello, do you work here?"

She turned around, taking the hose with her. It splashed on her dirt covered capris, making her grimace.

"Mm, yes I do. How can I help you?" She asked, tossing the still running hose into a cluster of plants.

"I was wondering what kind of plants are good for a gift" he said, nodding towards the slough of houseplants he had been looking at.

The woman nodded and walked over to them.

"Are you looking for indoor or outdoor plants?"

Snotlout shrugged.

"Indoor, I guess. Something that will last"

He watched her look over the variety of plants, trying to make decisions silently to herself. She had large eyes, a studious blue-gray with a hint of mischief. When he caught himself staring, he pretended to be examining a frilly little succulent by his hand.

She hovered over a plant for a moment before picking it up and holding it out to him.

"Asparagus fern. Fairly adaptable, easy to care for, super cute"

It was a fluffy little thing with long, droopy stems. She was right, it was pretty cute.

"Okay, this should work" he said.

The girl smiled at him.

"Alright. Well I can help you at checkout if you're ready"

He nodded and followed her to the tiny checkout counter that was set up in the corner. She ran a scanner over the plant's tag, and he paid for it with a twenty dollar bill he had stored in his pocket.

As she was counting out the change, she looked up at him and gave a small grin.

"I have to ask, is this a gift for a girlfriend perhaps?"

Snotlout was caught off guard by the question. Was she hitting on him or just making small talk?

"Oh, no. It's for my mom," he answered, taking his change and the receipt from her. He stuck the change in a decorative tip jar that was sitting on the register. "Why, are you interested?"

The girl smirked at him, the mischief in her eyes becoming slightly more prominent.

"Maybe. It's hard to resist a guy holding a plant"

He felt himself flush.

"Well, in that case, maybe I could get your number" he said, miraculously without stuttering.

She held her hand out for him to place his phone into. She typed her name and number into it before giving it back.

He looked down at it.

_Ruffnut Thorston _  
_(xxx)xxx-xxxx_

"Ruffnut, huh?" he mused. He frowned when he realized that it might've come across as rude.

"Yep, and that's not even the worst of it. I have a twin brother named Tuffnut. What were my parents thinking?"

She gave an overexaggerated gag, making him laugh. He pressed on her name in his phone and typed out a message.

_t_ _his is Snotlout._

When her phone buzzed from her pocket, she pulled it out to read the message.

"Snotlout? That's worse than my name!" She teased, scrunching her nose.

"Ha ha, very funny. I'll text you sometime" he said. She waved, and he left the greenhouse with the fern in his arms. He smiled to himself, thinking maybe he should consider getting into gardening.


	15. "I Missed You"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed a day, I'm so sorry. I'm visiting my parents this weekend, so I was driving yesterday. Anyway, here's some BS I whipped up because I needed some wholesome Rufflout today. I have some better prompts that I'm working on for the near future, I promise

**Modern AU **

It was that time of night when the airport became a quiet, surreal corner of the Earth, as opposed to the bustling hub it usually was. Ruffnut was stretched across a row of uncomfortable seats, waiting for the telltale sounds of the landing crew to bring her to full consciousness.

Snotlout's plane had been delayed. He hadn't intended to be flying into Berk this late at night, and he certainly wasn't happy about it. Ruffnut didn't mind, though. He'd been gone for over two weeks, and she was ready to have him back.

There were only a few others in the terminal. Berk's airport was fairly small anyway, but at this time of night it was practically a ghost town. Ruffnut stood up from the benches to stretch her aching spine. She glanced out the windows, watching the landing crew on the tarmac. She was hoping that maybe she'd see the plane rolling down the winding runway, but there wasn't any plane. If she had been any more impatient than she already was, then maybe she would've gone to the nearest desk to ask when her boyfriend's flight was expected to arrive. Certainly it should be any minute now.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time. A pointless effort, as she had checked it only minutes before. Although this time she had a text message. She opened it up, thinking maybe it was an update from Snotlout.

_Astrid: Are you _ _and_ _ Snot coming to Fishlegs' surprise party tomorrow?_

Ruffnut cursed herself for nearly forgetting and threw a reminder on her calander before texting back.

_Ruffnut: Of course_

She pocketed her phone and threw her legs across the row of benches. Gods, she was tired. She was almost regretting insisting so hard on picking Snotlout up from the airport. Although it wouldn't have felt right to make the man take a cab, especially after his long trip. Even she had more sympathy than that.

A period of time passed. Ruffnut was unsure if she actually slept through it, or managed to waste it by pretending to sleep. Either way, she woke up in time to see a small plane touch down on the runway. Her eyes followed its path as it approached the building. Even after it came to a complete stop, there was a torturous amount of time before anything happened. She sprang up the moment the door opened, and she watched a few tired people trickle out of the plane before she saw Snotlout. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder and looked terribly disgruntled.

Ruffnut stood by the doors until her exhausted boyfriend walked inside. His eyes met hers and he rushed over to greet her. Backpack discarded on the floor, he embraced her firmly, inhaling her comfortable and familiar scent. Snotlout, however, smelled like wind, sweat, and sleep. Ruffnut couldn't care less. That single hug made the entire miserable wait worth it.

"Ready to go home?" She asked, picking up his backpack from the floor and swinging it over her shoulder.

Snotlout nodded.

"Like you wouldn't believe"

They retrieved Snotlout's suitcase from the return and left the airport. The air was frigid and the wind was howling angrily, but Ruffnut couldn't find a single complaint. Snotlout's hand reached out to entwine with hers, and that was all the warmth they needed. The luggage was tossed in the backseat of Ruffnut's red Stratus, and the two climbed into the front. From the passenger seat, Snotlout leaned over to turn Ruff's head towards him and plant a needy kiss on her lips. She returned it, hungry for affection after two weeks of being apart.

"Gods, I missed you" she said warmly.

Snotlout settled back into his seat.

"I missed you too"

Ruffnut backed out of the parking lot and started down the highway towards town. Again, their fingers laced together. Snotlout leaned his head on Ruff's shoulder, and before she could ask him about his trip, he was asleep.


	16. "Can We Talk Outside?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, it's safe to say I haven't been updating every day. I guess from now on I'll just update a few times a week when I get inspired. Anyway, here's a hurt/comfort one shot for all your wholesome Rufflout needs!

**(This takes place between HTTYD 1 and Rob/Dob)**

Ruffnut woke up to a harsh chill in the air. She could feel the cold piercing her even from under a pile of yak pelts. Her first instinct was to blame her brother for not securing the window latch the night before, but when she turned over to face Tuff's side of the room, she saw the true culprit.

"Snotlout, have you lost your mind?" She hissed, hoping to her feet and going to the window.

Snotlout was seated on top of Hookfang, hovering high enough to reach the twins' second floor bedroom.

"Just shut up and let me in"

Ruffnut groaned and helped the man climb into the window. She promptly shut the latch and shivered.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded quietly. "If Tuff wakes up you're toast"

Snotlout took his cape from his shoulders and wrapped it around Ruff. She huffed, but didn't protest.

"I have to know why you did that" he whispered.

Ruffnut avoided his eyes. She knew exactly what he was talking about, though it wasn't something she intended to ever speak of again. It had been an impulse; something wild to do when she felt helpless. And now it was coming back to bite her, and she felt twice as helpless as before.

"Snot, it was just a kiss. It's not that deep" she said. She hoped to Loki that he couldn't tell that she was trying to convince herself the same thing.

"I know, Ruff," he said gently, taking her by surprise. "I just want to know why it happened"

Ruffnut glanced at her still sleeping brother. She sighed and looked to Snotlout.

"Can we talk outside?"

Snotlout helped her onto Hookfang, who looked rather displeased about being awake at this time of night. She held loosely to his shoulders as they flew across the island. They ended up in a rather familiar cave.

"My soggy place?" She asked.

She gave Hookfang a gentle pat and slid off of the dragon. Snotlout hopped down after her.

"I figured you wanted privacy" he shrugged.

"Thanks"

"Please just tell me, Ruff. I won't bother you about it at all after that. I can even pretend it never happened. I just want to know why" he pleaded.

Ruffnut watched Snotlout's face as he talked. It was oddly sincere, considering it was coming from Snotlout Jorganson. She sighed defeatedly.

"I got in trouble yesterday"

Snotlout's face contorted in confusion.

"You get in trouble every day"

"Yes, well I got in _big _trouble yesterday. With the High Council of Thorstons. I got a long lecture about how they won't be able to marry off an "unladylike brat" and told me to get my act together before I become completely undesirable"

Snotlout gave her a sympathetic frown. Her eyes were lacking their usual impish glow. Ruffnut tolerated a lot of insults, most of which came from her friends and her brother. But certainly she had a breaking point, and evidently being insulted by her entire family was it.

"I'm so sorry," he said lamely. "But that doesn't really explain why you kissed me behind the mead hall last night"

Ruffnut backed against the cave wall and slid down until she was sitting on the damp, gravelly floor. Snotlout grimaced to himself before sitting down next to her.

"I guess I just wanted to prove I'm not completely repulsive yet" she muttered.

The pained look on her face told Snotlout more than she could've said to him. She was devastated. Ruff wasn't a vain girl by any means, and she took the occasional jab from Tuffnut knowing he doesn't actually believe that she's ugly. Snotlout would certainly be hurt if his family said anything like that to him. He couldn't even imagine his father, as critical as he was, saying something so harsh to him.

"Are you kidding? Sure, you're a little wild, but you're the furthest thing from repulsive!"

Ruffnut looked surprised by his sincerity.

"Really?"

"Yeah, of course. You're beautiful and fun and fierce and stubbornly loyal. I'd say whoever gets to marry you will be really lucky. He'll have a whole lot on his plate, but he'll be lucky" he assured her, placing his hand gently on her shoulder, still covered in his bearskin cape.

The corners of Ruff's mouth turned up slightly, and her eyes began to glow.

"Thank you" she whispered.

She leaned across him and placed a firm, hungry kiss on his lips. It was different than the one from the other night. That kiss had been aggressive and needy, and it retrospect, it did seem like she was doing it just to be doing something impulsive. But this one was meaningful and spoke her gratitude for her.

They broke apart, stood up silently, and mounted Hookfang, waking the poor dragon. Wordlessly, they made the trip back to the village and hovered above the twins' bedroom window. Ruffnut unlatched it, crawled through, then stood to face Snotlout from the inside. He gave a small smile to her.

"Goodnight, Ruff" he said softly.

He gently nudged Hookfang's side, and the two were flying back towards the Jorganson household. Ruffnut sealed the window, kicked off her boots, and settled herself underneath her blankets. She shifted herself around, trying to realize what was wrong. Then it hit her. Snotlout's cape was still draped over her shoulders. She stroked the soft fur and smiled fondly. Giving herself a reminder to return it in the morning, she wrapped it around herself and settled back into bed. She felt a lot warmer.


	17. Meteor Shower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a short, cliche little one shot inspired by the Orionid meteor shower that peaks this week. I went to watch it tonight, and it's beautiful. Highly recommend it.

It was the middle of the night. Snotlout would've been annoyed with Ruffnut for dragging him out of bed if he wasn't too tired to put up a fight. She seemed excited. He wasn't sure why. She had probably explained why at least twice by now, and he had just missed it.

She was leading him through Berk. Everyone in the village was happily asleep except Snotlout and Ruff. She had her fingers entwined with his, pulling him behind her like a stubborn sheep.

"Hurry or we'll miss it!" She hissed, tugging on his arm harder. He groaned and let her pull him even faster. Whatever she was trying to show him, he wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible so he could go back to sleep.

The two Vikings snaked through the forest on the edge of town until they got to a clearing with a single building that had been long forgotten.

"Why are we at Mildew's house?" He asked. Ruffnut was still tugging him through the abandoned cabbage field and to the edge of the cliff that overlooked the ocean.

"Look"

Ruffnut pointed towards the sky. Snotlout squinted, trying to find something special he was supposed to be seeing.

"I don't get it, Ruff"

She knocked him gently with her shoulder.

"Just wait. It might take a few minutes"

He waited.

Nothing had changed in nearly ten minutes, and he was starting to get frustrated. Was this some sort of Ruffnut-y prank?

Then he saw it. If he had been looking even a single degree to the left, he would've missed it. But what he saw made him audibly gasp and filled him with infinite questions.

"That star fell" he breathed, pointing to where it had been.

Ruffnut grinned contentedly.

"I know"

"How did you know that would happen?"

"It's been happening all night. Wait a minute and it'll do it again"

And it did. Snotlout gestured to it, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Isn't it cool?" Ruffnut mused. She looked pleased that Snotlout was so impressed.

"Really cool," he agreed. "Where do they land?"

Ruff shrugged.

"Probably in the ocean somewhere. They're pretty far away"

Snotlout kept his eyes fixed on the sky, but he squeezed Ruff's hand gently.

"We should go look for them tomorrow" he said.

"Good idea. I bet not even Hiccup has his own star"

Snotlout grinned.

"You're right"

Another star fell out of the sky. Both Snotlout and Ruffnut squinted to try and see where it landed, but it was too far away. Their fingers were still laced together, and Ruffnut's hand was warm and comforting.

"That's for waking me up for this" he said, trying to sound slightly passive aggressive. But he was genuinely glad Ruffnut had thought to show this to him.

"I knew you'd appreciate it" she said softly. Her eyes were still fixed on the sky, waiting for another star to fall. Without thinking too hard about it, he extended himself onto his tiptoes to plant a kiss on her cheek.

She smiled at him. At first he was worried she was going to crack some sort of insult at him, but instead she ceased his shoulders firmly and pressed her lips against his. Her kiss was short and gentle, but it spoke more words than she could've said out loud.

"You can go back to bed now, Snotty. Because tomorrow, we're getting ourselves a star"


End file.
